The Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests
SNAP Press Statement
For immediate release: Tuesday, June 14, 2011
Diocese to list predators; SNAP responds
Statement by Joelle Casteix of Newport Beach CA, Western Regional Director of SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (949 322 7434, [email protected])
Every day that a proven, admitted, or credibly accused cleric lives or works among unsuspecting families is risky. Parents, parishioners and the public need and deserve to know who and where these potentially dangerous individuals are, so they can better protect their children.
We hope the list is posted quickly. There is no reason for delay. We hope it’s thorough: listing predators who are alive or dead, with any diocesan or religious order, and those who worked in the Phoenix diocese permanently or temporarily.
We hope it also includes their photos and work histories (like the Philadelphia archdiocese does).
Finally, we hope the website also includes a strong plea to anyone who saw, suspected or suffered clergy sex crimes or cover ups: “Please come forward, get help call police, expose predators, protect kids, and start healing.”
(SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, is the world’s oldest and largest support group for clergy abuse victims. We’ve been around for 23 years and have more than 10,000 members. Despite the word “priest” in our title, we have members who were molested by religious figures of all denominations, including nuns, rabbis, bishops, and Protestant ministers. Our website is SNAPnetwork.org)
Contact - David Clohessy (314-566-9790 cell, [email protected]), Barbara Blaine (312-399-4747, [email protected]), Peter Isely (414-429-7259, [email protected]), Barbara Dorris (314-862-7688 home, 314-503-0003 cell, [email protected])
Diocese of Phoenix to list abusive clergymen on website
by Michael Clancy - Jun. 15, 2011 - The Arizona Republic
The Catholic Diocese of Phoenix says it will publish a comprehensive list identifying abusive clergy as part of its newly revised website.
Diocese spokesman Rob DeFrancesco said the transition to the new website, diocesephoenix .org, will include a determination of the best format for such a list.
The new site debuted a few weeks ago, but not all the pages have been reformatted. News of publication of the list comes as Catholic bishops gather this week in Seattle to consider revisions to their abuse policies.
When the diocese completes the work and actually puts the list online, it will become one of just 25 dioceses to provide the information, said David Clohessy, national director of the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, or SNAP. There are 195 dioceses in the United States.
Joe Baca, who leads the SNAP group in Arizona, was surprised by the news.
"Oh my God," he said, "that's great."
Baca said the more information that is available to church members and the public, the safer vulnerable children will be.
"We just need the secrecy to stop," he said.
The Diocese of Tucson is one of the groups that lists abusive priests.
Francesco also said the diocese would publish a comprehensive report on the abuse scandal in time for the 10th anniversary of the bishops' Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People, including costs.
"We think this is the absolute bare minimum a bishop can do," Clohessy said of the list. "We hope the bishop doesn't wait until next summer but gets the credibly accused predator priests' names out in the public eye right away."
The charter has come under increasing scrutiny in the past year, as several dioceses that passed annual audits under the charter were later revealed to have shielded priests who were accused of abuse or ignored ongoing warning signs or other aspects of the charter. Such cases arose in Philadelphia and Kansas City, Mo., which both passed audits but, according to prosecutors, continued to shield abusive priests.
In Gallup, N.M., reports indicate Bishop James Wall, formerly of Phoenix, has ignored the charter-dictated lay-review board, despite promises of transparency.
In Phoenix, the number of accusations has slowed to a trickle since the height of the scandal in 2002-03. The diocese has notified the community of about six individuals since 2007. They bring the number of credibly accused or convicted clergy and staff in the diocese to about 35. Some of them are priests from other dioceses and religious orders who worked in or visited the area, and some are also listed on the Tucson website, diocesetucson.org.
The diocese's comprehensive report will include a full accounting of costs associated with the scandal, DeFrancesco said. It also will provide details on the diocese's training of adults and children.
The diocese reported expenditures in 2004 of $2.7 million.
A comprehensive accounting of costs would include legal settlements, defense attorneys, maintaining a diocesan abuse office, counseling for victims, therapy for accused priests and the cost of accused priests' ongoing living expenses.
Nationally, Catholic dioceses are believed to have spent more than $2 billion.
Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests
www.snapnetwork.org